Pampered Consort of the Fragrant Orchard c1-234

by N/A

  "Nope, let's go, big brother, we can cook meat soup tonight." Du Xiao Li shoved the hare into Du Xiu Heng's hands, and afterwards, pulled him towards the courtyard.

  When they got to the courtyard, Du Xiao Li began to worry again. Aside from a pot, there isn't any other kitchenwares in the house, not even a knife. How are they going to kill the rabbit like this?!

  Ch. 005 – The Villagers

  The Villagers

  When they got to the courtyard, Du Xiao Li began to worry again. Aside from a pot, there isn't any other kitchenwares in the house, not even a knife. How are they going to kill the rabbit like this?!

  "Big brother, when we came out, did we not bring anything with us?" Du Xiao Li asked.

  Du Xiu Heng shook his head and said, "Eldest aunt said that everything was used to repay the debt, and didn't let us take anything."

  "That Cui-shi!" Du Xiao Li was so angry her teeth itched. Although in the beginning, they certainly did borrow some money for Su Su Xin's doctor fees, it wasn't to the point where they needed to use everything to repay the debt!

  "How about I go find uncle Shi to borrow some things?" Du Xiu Heng also noticed their current situation and said.

  Uncle Shi was previously their neighbor. His character was honest and straightforward. Seeing the two siblings were pitiful, he thus gave them a pot and a bit of food, letting them be able to cook something to eat, so as to not starve to death.

  "No need, big brother." Du Xiao Li stopped Du Xiu Heng and said, "Borrowing uncle Shi's things, we would still have to return them tomorrow. And when we need to use it again next time, don't tell me we'll have to go borrow again?"

  "This....but if we don't borrow, how are we going to kill the rabbit?" Du Xiu Heng asked.

  "Let's go demand back the things that belong to us!" Du Xiao Li said, "It's already enough that eldest uncle forcibly took our house. Those furnitures all belong to us, and also our clothes and whatnot. All need to get back."

  "But eldest aunt won't let us take them!" Du Xiu Heng said. Last time, he'd already tried, but eldest aunt not only didn't agree, she even had him scolded, and kicked out.

  "Just watch me. Big brother, in a while you....." Du Xiao Li explained her plan to Du Xiu Heng.

  After Du Xiu Heng finished listening, he hesitantly said, "Will this method really work?"

  "Whether it works or not, we'll knew with a try." Du Xiao Li took the hare and mushrooms into the house. And after confirming once again that the hare's legs were properly bounded, and won't run away when it wakes up, she finally went out again. She pulled along Du Xiu Heng and descended the mountain together.

  At the moment, the sun was already leaning to the west, and quite a few people already began preparing to return home. On the rural path, from time to time, they would see people heading home with a hoe in hand.

  "Yo, Xiu Heng, how come you've come down the mountain?" A fellow villager saw the two and asked, "Li girl, heard you were sick, are you better now?"

  "Thank you uncle Shi Er[1], I'm already better." Du Xiao Li recognized uncle Shi's younger brother, and sweetly replied with a smile.

  This uncle Shi Er was the same as uncle Shi, both thirty some year old men, with a honest character, and possessed the warmheartedness that farmers usually had. Seeing the two of them coming down the mountain this late, they thus stopped and greeted them.

  "Haha, this Li girl had a bout of illness and now seemed to have grown up quite a bit. Seems to be different than before oh!" When uncle Shi Er saw Du Xiao Li fluently reply to himself, even knowing to say thank you now, he heartily laughed out loud.

  "Hee hee, what was I like before?" Du Xiao Li tried to let herself appear like a child as much as possible, as she asked with a playful laugh.

  "Li girl in past didn't have this big of guts, and when seeing us, didn't dare to speak either." Uncle Shi Er said, "That's right, what did you two come down the mountain for?"

  Hearing uncle Shi Er's words, Du Xiao Li's face immediately lowered and said, "We want to go to our original house to get some things. That shabby house on the mountain doesn't have anything. Big brother and I are about to freeze to death, starve to death...wuu wuu...."

  The house at the waist of the mountain, everyone in the entire village all knew about, so naturally they also knew that there was nothing inside. Although the weather was already beginning to warm up, but at night, it was still rather cold, especially when raining. Uncle Shi Er thought about the two little dumplings' life living there and couldn't help but heartache for them, saying: "What do you need to move? Uncle Shi Er will help you move it up the mountain."

  "Really? Thank you, uncle Shi Er!" Du Xiu Heng gratefully said, "But we don't know if eldest aunt will let us take those things or not."

  "Your eldest uncle's family really did go a bit overboard over this time. Don't worry, I will help you two." Uncle Shi Er patted his own chest and said.

  "Thank you uncle Shi Er!" Du Xiao Li rubbed her eyes and said.

  "What's there to thank, everyone's all neighbors. Goudan'er[2], you go back and tell your mom I'll be back a bit later." Uncle Shi Er handed the hoe on his shoulder to a small boy behind him and said.

  "Alright, dad. I'll go back and tell mother, and afterwards also come help!" Goudan finished saying this, then swiftly ran towards his house.

  "Let's go then." Uncle Shi patted Du Xiao Li's head.

  Along the way, they even ran into a few other villagers. Seeing Du Xiao Li and her brother, along with Shi Er heading towards Du Fu's family, they curiously followed after. When they were about to reach Du Fu's home, they saw a figure just coming out of their courtyard, heading towards their direction.

  "Doctor Niu!" Du Xiu Heng saw the person directly coming towards them and waved his arm.

  Doctor Niu's name was Niu Jing , probably fifty to sixty years old, and he was tall and skinny, looking very benevolent. Because he didn't work in the fields much, his skin was rather white. Heard that he previously lived in the big city, though exactly which city, no one knew. They only knew that it was very very big. Two years ago, he returned to his old hometown. Everyone all assumed that because he felt he himself was getting old, he wanted to find a quiet place to retire to.

  "Doctor Niu, thank you for replenishing younger sister's medicine last time. This is the money I made today from selling firewood, pay you back the medicine money from last time." Du Xiu Heng took out a few copper coins and handed it to Niu Jing, saying: "The rest, I'll pay back in another two days."

  Niu Jing waved his hand, saying: "You probably only have this bit of copper coins now right? Take it back for now. Wait until you have more money, then give it to me. I'm not in a hurry." Afterwards, he looked to Du Xiao Li, "Looks like your complexion is pretty good, presumably this illness is mostly cured. Let me check your pulse again."

  Du Xiao Li stretched out her right hand, and Niu Jing checked her pulse for a while, "En, the typhoid is already mostly cured, however, this little body is somewhat malnourished! Need to quickly fix this."

  "Thank you doctor Niu!" Du Xiao Li withdrew her hand. She also knew that she herself was malnourished, and planned to properly replenish later. Not only herself, but also that skinny like a monkey big brother of hers.

  "Doctor Niu, did you just come from Du Fu's house?" Shi Er asked.

  "Yes, this Cui-shi accidentally fell down from the mountain yesterday. Today, it was aching unbearably, so they let me come and have a look. And you all are..?" Niu Jing saw that there were this many people, and asked.

  "It's like this, Xiu Heng and his sister are planning to go to their old house and move some things to the house on the mountain. You also know, that house on the mountain doesn't have anything in it. These two siblings even have a hard time getting their meals prepared. I'm following along to see if there's anything I can help with. Those larger items, with these two being this small, they can't move on their own!" Shi Er said.

  "Since that's the case, this old man will also stay behind and see if there's an
ything I can help with." Niu Jing stroked his own beard and said.

  "Then let's go."

  When the party reached Du Fu's home, Du Fu was currently wiping on medicine for Cui-shi. Inside, a sharp scream that sounded like a dying monkey could be heard, making Du Xiao Li secretly laugh to herself inside endlessly.

  "Du Fu, Du Fu, come out for a moment." Shi Er stood at the courtyard gates and shouted towards the house.

  A while later, a man just as round as Du Xiao Tian walked out and saw the crowd standing outside his own courtyard. And when he saw Du Xiao Li and her brother, his expression dropped, asking: "What are you doing here?"

  [1] Since he's the second brother, so 'Shi two'

  [2] Ok so, his name translates to 'dog egg' literally, and I'm pretty sure it's suppose to be a nickname. I looked it up and it's supposed to be an intimate way to refer to someone.

  Ch. 006 – Dispute

  Dispute

  Seeing Du Fu's mean look, Du Xiao Li pretended to look scared and hid behind Du Xiu Heng's back. This made everyone all feel this Du Fu went a bit overboard. A perfectly fine little miss and you scared her like that!

  Du Fu was currently still thinking about going in to apply medicine for Cui-shi. After hearing her howl for a whole day today, he felt worried and jittery inside, and thus roared at Shi Er, "What did you all call me out for?"

  Du Xiu Heng looked to Du Fu, sucked in a breathe and said, "Eldest uncle, we want to go to our previous house and take some things to bring up the mountain."

  "Things? What things? You've already used that house as collateral. Where are there still things that belong to you two?" The fat on Du Fu's face swayed as he spoke.

  "Du Fu, how can you say it like that. You're are still their eldest uncle after all. Them wanting to go back and take some things, should be nothing right?" Shi Er looked to Du Fu and said in dissatisfaction.

  "What do you mean by nothing? Those are my family's things, even if it's my blood related nephew, can't just take as he pleases!" Du Fu waved his hand and said, "I still need to go in and apply medicine for my wife. If you all don't have anything else, don't loiter around my place."

  Finish saying this, Du Fu turned and headed back inside, not even giving the crowd another glance.

  "Eldest uncle, those things clearly belong to us!" Du Xiao Li saw Du Fu about to leave, and loudly shouted, "When daddy was still alive, he even said eldest uncle's family are all good people, who would've thought that eldest uncle would instead in turn cheated us out of our things! Wuu Wuu, daddy, if you saw this kind of situation from below, would you be able to rest in peace, wuu wuu......"

  Du Fu's steps towards the house froze at once, and he violently turned around. But before he could say anything, Cui-shi came out supported by a crutch. She stood at the door and looked to the crowd, yelling: "In broad daylight, all have nothing to do? What are you all loitering outside our family's courtyard for? Want to steal our family's things huh?!

  "Du family's wife, what are you saying? What do you mean steal your family's things?" In the village were all honest and docile farmers. They hated those that were prone to stealing the most. Hearing Cui-shi's words, their expressions all turned ugly.

  Cui-shi coldly snorted, "Didn't you all say you came to help these two dead brats get things? Those things all belong to our family. If this is not stealing, then what is?"

  "Those clearly belong to us, eldest aunt you can't say nonsense and wrongly accuse all these uncles!" Du Xiao Li stretched out her little head from behind Du Xiu Heng. She looked to Cui-shi's swollen leg and retorted.

  "Yours? In the beginning, we agreed to use the house as collateral. This borrower's slip was already given to you two, and the house deed and land deed also given to us. Now you want to come take it back? We won't yield!" Cui-shi said in a sharp voice. That appearance seemingly looked as if she intends to bring out the land deed whatnot to block Du Xiao Li's mouth in the next second.

  Du Xiao Li jabbed Du Xiu Heng's back. Du Xiu Heng's body stiffened, and afterwards finally said, "Eldest aunt, in the beginning, when we gave you the house deed, we indeed said from now on the house will belong to you all, but we didn't say the things inside the house also is yours! We only temporarily placed it there for few days, how did it become yours?"

  From Du Xiu Heng's perspective, going back on things previously agreed on now, this was a kind of shameless behavior. But, today, the thing Du Xiao Li wanted him to do was exactly acting shameless, practically having the previous matters nulled.

  "What do you mean placed there for few days? At the time, we agreed that the things inside will also be used as collateral, now you want to go back on your word?" Cui-shi furiously said, while she attempted to walk over from the front door.

  "Aiyoo, my ancestor, I'll take care of things here, you can just wait inside, what did you come out for?!" Du Fu saw Cui-shi still wanting to come out to the courtyard, and hastily ran over to help her, muttering in the mouth.

  "Pah! You take care of it? Let you take care of it, and you can squander away this entire home!" Cui-shi fiercely shot a glare at Du Fu yelling.

  Du Fu got yelled at, but didn't retort either, only silently helping her walk towards the courtyard. For a long time, the small and big matters of the home have always been decided on by Cui-shi alone, including business matters as well. If not for her, they wouldn't be living this comfortably either. In addition, her personality was shrewish. For every word you say, she can yell back ten. That's why it's better to stay silent.

  Seeing Du Fu not saying anything, Cui-shi thus placed her sight onto Du Xiao Li and her brother saying, "In the beginning, when we exchanged the house deed, you didn't have any objections, how come you're regretting it now? Let me tell you, want to take back the house deed, no way!"

  "Eldest aunt, we didn't say we want to take back the house deed. We only want to move some things up the mountain." Du Xiu Heng said.

  "Things? Those things all belong to our family. You think you can move just because you want to move?! Do you take everyone in our family to be dead?" Cui-shi said.

  "Eldest aunt, in the beginning, when mother was just buried, you and eldest uncle immediately came asking for us to pay back the debt. Big brother still hadn't walked out from the grieving at the time, so naturally wasn't in the mood to calculate the debt with you. As father's blood related older brother, not only did you come act shameless when mother's corpse wasn't even cold yet, you even cheated out of us that much money. Aren't you afraid that my parents might come find you?!" Du Xiao Li also angrily retorted, as she came out from behind Du Xiu Heng.

  The villagers present had all came wanting to help the siblings. Hearing Du Xiao Li say it like that, they all criticized Cui-shi and her husband for being too black-hearted one after the other.

  "What nonsense are you saying! When did we cheat you out of your money?" Cui-shi was so angered by Du Xiao Li she trembled, pointing to her as she asked.

  "How did you not? Don't tell me you still want us to count it up for you to hear?" Du Xiao Li wiped the tear stains from her face, and turned to Du Xiu Heng, asking: "Big brother, in order to treat mother's illness, how much money in total did we borrow from eldest uncle's family?"

  "Twenty taels of silver." Du Xiu Heng said.

  Du Xiao Li calculated according to the current market price. One tael of silver was probably about the same as the modern one thousand yuan* more or less. She then turned to look at Cui-shi again, asking: "Eldest aunt, did we borrow twenty taels of silver from your family?"

  (*T/N: This is about 150 dollars in USD)

  "Hmph." Cui-shi coldly snorted, pretty much acknowledging it. Du Fu had Du Xiao Tian bring out a stool, and he helped Cui-shi sit down.

  "Then asking eldest aunt, is our house only worth twenty taels of silver?" Du Xiao Li asked. Not waiting for Cui-shi to reply, she turned to face the crowd and asked: "Everyone, I want to ask you all to make a judgement, our family's previous house, is it only worth twenty taels of silver? That's not ri
ght, should be not even twenty taels, because eldest aunt even took those furnitures of ours as collateral!"

  This house that was newly built after Du Hai had returned from the outside, in the beginning when it was being built, not just twenty taels were spent. In addition to the land cost, even if it was a bit old, it still wouldn't not even be worth twenty taels.

  "Hmph, just that shabby house of yours, to be able to be worth ten taels is already not bad!" Cui-shi said, but these words clearly didn't have any subsistence.

  "Eldest aunt, how much you say it's worth, doesn't count. How much big brother and I say it's worth, doesn't count either. That's why, I invited the village chief to come give an appraisal for us, see just how much money that house of ours is worth. Look, the village chief has already come!" Du Xiao Li saw Cui-shi's guilty appearance, and coldly laughed inside. Today, she will have the things that belongs to them taken back!

  Ch. 007 – Village Chief Comes to Help

  Village Chief Comes to Help

  Everyone looked to the direction where they all just came from. And sure enough, they saw the village chief walking over step by step.

  The village chief is called Li Ming Fu, he's the Zhou county's head commissioner's distant relative. Because one of his leg was somewhat handicapped, that's why he became the village chief at this Du village. Everyone all knew that the county's head commissioner was his relative, so they were all very respectful towards him.

  It was Niu Jing that had someone invite Li Ming Fu over. He said the people eldest aunt's family were all rather aggressive. If they were to go find them just like this, even if she admitted to it now, later on, she still might use this as an excuse to cause a disturbance. It would be better to invite the village chief over to be the judge and settle this matter, let Du Fu and Cui-shi in the future, not dare to say anything.

  Although Du Fu's whole family was the wealthiest in the village, but as the proverb says 'scholars, farmers, artisan, and merchant[1]', officials still ranked in foremost. Even if it was just the smallest of small village chief, Du Fu's family still wouldn't dare to act brazenly in front of the village chief.